Per “Energy Drinks US, May 2018” from global market research firm Mintel, energy drinks are expected to see growth of 4% to 5% through 2022. Yet, there are some challenges ahead, including the struggling energy shot subset.

Growth for non-aseptic drinks, mixes

Despite relatively stagnant sales in 2017, shelf-stable non-aseptic energy drinks are yet again on the rise. The category saw an 8.2% improvement in dollar sales to $11.0 billion and a 7.5% rise in unit sales to 4.2 billion.

Among the top 10 brands, seven posted positive gains in sales. Red Bull Yellow Edition (Red Bull North America) led the group with a 16.6% increase in dollar sales and a 17.5% climb in unit sales. Monster Energy Zero Ultra (Monster Energy Co.) had a 13.9% improvement in dollar sales and a 12.7% rise in unit sales. Red Bull Blue Edition was another brand success for Red Bull North America. Its dollar sales improved 11.8%, and its unit sales jumped 12.7%.

However, some of the top shelf-stable non-aseptic brands struggled. Rockstar’s (Rockstar Inc.) dollar and unit sales tumbled 8.1% and 9.1%, respectively. Monster Mega Energy (Monster Energy Co.) also saw a decline: 2.5% in dollar sales and 4.2% in unit sales. Another Monster Energy Co. product, Lo-carb Monster Energy, saw a 2.4% drop in dollar sales, and unit sales fell 3.4%.

Energy mixes are a small but increasingly mighty segment of the overall energy drink category. Though they represent only $104.6 million in dollar sales, energy mixes grew more dramatically than any other subcategory, with an 18.8% rise in dollar sales and a 21.8% jump in unit sales.

Energy shots shoot downward

Regardless of positive results elsewhere in the energy drinks category, energy shots continue to decline. The subset fell 0.7% in dollar sales (to $1.1 billion) and 0.6% in unit sales (to 315.8 million).

There were a few bright spots among the top 10 energy shot brands. The Eternal Energy Premium energy shot brand (Eternal Energy) grew 27.8% in dollar sales and 21.0% in unit sales. Tweaker Energy Shot (Tweaker Energy Drink) gained 9.9% in dollar sales and 10.7% in unit sales. Stacker 2 Extra Strength Extreme energy shots also improved, climbing 6.1% in dollar sales and 6.2% in unit sales.

It was another story for many of the other top 10 energy shot brands. Stacker2 energy shots (NVE Pharmaceuticals) saw the largest decline: 18.6% in dollar sales and 20.6% in unit sales. Another NVE Pharmaceuticals product, Stacker2 Extreme energy shots, fell 8.2% in dollar sales and 12.3% in unit sales. Rip It Energy Fuel (Sundance Beverage Co.) also struggled, with a 5.0% loss in both dollar and unit sales.